


To Look Beyond

by issaMorg



Series: Commissions [3]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, M/M, Yes there are two Reapers, basically they're fair folk and u can see them when the moon is full, fae!au, it's complicated - Freeform, no they are not both Gabe- not quite, when I say it's complicated I mean I am bad at summaries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-20
Updated: 2017-07-20
Packaged: 2018-12-04 11:59:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,506
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11554764
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/issaMorg/pseuds/issaMorg
Summary: You'd fled from them and their interference for most all of your life. TheOthers, those that you could see and feel that nobody else around you could.Yet when your past starts catching up with you, is it really worth the effort to keep running when a little communication solves so much more?





	To Look Beyond

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Shatterdreams](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shatterdreams/gifts).



The sky was a lovely, tonight. The stars peppering the inky blackness of the night, just the brightest showing themselves through all the light pollution of the city.

 

It was for the best, you thought as you watched the nearly-full moon approach her peak. You admired the night sky, truly, you did. You just didn't want to encounter the  _ Others _ that enjoyed it just as much.

 

You'd seen the  _ Others _ off and on most of your life. You never knew what caused you to see them, just that you'd apparently been able to see them since long before you remember. Your parents have stories of you chattering on and on to and about your “imaginary friends” you could only sometimes see.

 

You knew now that they were what you called  _ Others _ . Some would call them fair folk, while another may call them spirits. You personally didn't think giving them such lofty titles would do you any good, especially when you do your best to ignore them the best you can.

 

You'd been looked at funny when you were younger, when you would talk to what “wasn't there” as opposed to classmates. Truly, how could any of them compete to the colorful and interesting forms that the  _ Others _ regularly took?

 

Eventually, the actions of your classmates and their harsh words drove you to try to be more like them. You’d do what you could to be less of a target for teasing and pranks.

 

So you tried to ignore the  _ Others _ , be more like your classmates. Normal.

 

_ They _ didn't like that. They were rarely seen or heard as it was, and when they could? They all wanted your full attention.

 

So when you could only hear them, they screamed. When you could add feeling to that, they jolted you all over the place, pulling and pinching as they went. When you could see them? There was no respite, you barely got anything done.

 

Your grades slipped during that time, not that you could do much to stop it. So you got smart, did your work ahead of time when you couldn't see them. One way to give yourself enough wiggle room to let yourself slip by when they interrupted you.

 

Then, first chance you got, you moved away from the nature they called home and into the city. It was a far cry from what you knew and loved, but it let you be normal for once with how few  _ Others _ were around.

 

Of course you couldn't avoid the call for nature’s splendour forever. This is what led you to walk through the park that the city had.

 

It was a small affair, the park. Maybe a block to hold all of it. Some trees, a play area for kids, a nice path to walk down…

 

It was at the kid’s playground you sat, the swings a calm and quiet place to sit in the dark of night. You rocked forward and backward gently on the balls of your feet, the swing creaking quietly.

 

You used the crisp night air to clear your head, and ignored the vague sound of  _ Others _ romping in the foliage. You didn't want them to  **know** that you could hear them.

 

You hummed a melody to yourself, an odd little tune you don't remember learning but know like the back of your hand.

 

The hair on the back of your neck prickled as you heard an otherworldly chuckle in your ear. “You still remember that tune  _ cariño _ ? I’m proud.”

 

You heard a second voice hiss a warning, a small  **thwack** , and then a grunt from the first voice. “Don't scare our Watcher,  _ hermano _ . We've spent so long searching to find them again. Don't fly away from us again, dove, we missed you.”

 

At this you finally were able to leap out of the swing and turn around. You knew you wouldn't be able to see them, but your eyes still searched as if they would suddenly show up.

 

The first voice chimed back up, “Now who's scaring them,” it teased. Your eyes scanned the scenery- slide, merry-go-round, monkey bars- no  _ Others _ .

 

Another  **thwack** followed, the second voice chiming up, “Dove, you know you can't see us yet. It's not the right time. But…” it- he?- trailed off.

 

The first voice finished the sentence, “But if you come back tomorrow we can touch. The next three nights after you can see. Then it will go back to feeling, and before the week is over you’ll be rid of us.”

 

The voice sounded bitter the further into the explanation it went, eventually spitting the end of the sentence out with a hiss.

 

There was a moment of relative silence between the three? of you, one of them emitting some sort of crackling noises- fire perhaps? Your heart went out for the two  _ Others _ and you made a noise of sympathy.

 

The two seemed to make a sharp intake of breath, and you heard their footsteps approach. You stumbled backward, sliding on the wood chips that made up the footing beneath the swings.

 

They stopped short at your stumble, the second voice seeming to make a pained noise at your retreat. You heard them talk to one another rapidly in the strangely melodic language of the  _ Others _ , and, not for the first time, you wished you understood a word they said.

 

There was a disappointed sigh from one and a grunt from the other, “We can't make you come back, Dove. Please though, let us explain? It's too much for tonight, you need to rest after all,” the second voice seemed almost, tentatively hopeful? “But tomorrow?”

 

Your body was tense, wary. You’d be able to feel them tomorrow, and this wouldn't be the first time the  _ Others _ tricked you, or hurt you even…

 

The first voice chimed in, picking up on your distress, “Will you come if we promise no harm will come to you, from any being?”

 

All was silent. The wind stopping, birds freezing, the flames muting their happy crackle, and the  _ Others _ hidden in the wood holding their breath at that.

 

For one of the  _ Others _ to give their word meant nothing would break it save death. Oh, they could bend it and twist it, but with that wording? You would be safer in their company than you could possibly be in a police department.

 

For  **_two_ ** to promise such a thing?

 

You nodded your assent, not trusting yourself to speak in that moment. 

 

The two voices chimed together as one, “Heard and Witnessed.”

 

The night came to life again, after that. The wind picking up, birds and bugs resuming their chirping, and the  _ Others _ in the woods going back to their business.

 

The second voice seemed to approach you again, this time with more confidence. “Go, you need your rest. We will meet you here tomorrow evening, as the moon rises.”

 

That night, as you walked home, you felt… Safe. Watched over, even. The feeling followed you until you entered your apartment building, and was gone by the time you’d climbed the flight of stairs to your place.

 

Later, as you tried to sleep, your brain was caught between thoughts of two seasons yet to arrive. The warm colors of fall and the chill of winter dancing through your mind as you faded into unconsciousness.

The next morning you planned to go about your day as normal, but as soon as you left you felt… Watched again. In a good way, oddly enough? You hummed contentedly as you felt a cool breeze on your back as you walked along in the sweltering summer heat. Other people griped and complained about the heat as you walked, but the one time you mentioned the breeze your conversation partner looked at you funny.

 

Nevertheless, your day went swimmingly, you were refreshingly cool all day. Every so often when you had to deal with someone rude you could’ve sworn you heard a growl or groan of annoyance. Of course you could be imagining it, as you yourself wished you could freely express.

 

Oddly enough, you found yourself looking forward to the meeting tonight. Oh, you'd thought about skipping it, but the more you thought about it… The less you wanted to. They promised you would be safe, and you wanted to hear their tale.

 

You supposed that was why you found yourself in the park after you left work. Oh, you had time to spare before your meeting, but what else would you do? Wait around your apartment, bored? No thanks.

 

You made your way through the park once more, the earlier breeze returning to mess your hair up and send a refreshing burst of cold. With a happy sigh, you make your way back to the swings.

 

The playground is losing activity for the day, children running back to parents or babysitters to go back home for dinner. You hum as the happy screams of children fade behind the wall of trees.

 

You swing idly as the sky begins to paint itself with pinks and oranges, a vivid swathe of colors you always enjoyed. Oh, the city could take the stars, but the sun would always be breathtaking.

 

You sat there, watching the sunset without qualms. In this moment, there was nothing to worry about. No  _ Others _ , no rent, no weird guy on the second floor- just you amidst nature's beauty.

 

And then you heard a the otherworldly cackle again, this time it made you abruptly stop in your tracks.

 

“So eager to talk to us again,  _ cariño _ ? Couldn't wait to leave the monotony and boredom of that job, could you? I know I was.”

 

The raspy, echoing voice seemed to curl around you. It made your skin crawl, yet you thought you could listen to it all day long. At that revelation, you made yourself raise your guard. The sweetest voices hid the scariest intentions, you'd noticed.

 

… Yet this voice wasn't so sweet as honey? It was rough, like gravel and hot coals on a crisp night. It was more of a comfort than a temptation, something and someone you'd long to come home to after a long day.

 

Why didn't you naturally feel on edge, as  _ Others _ traditionally made you?

 

“How is it every time you talk with our Dove, you manage to scare them,” the second voice from last night chimed, cool as a breeze and soft like velvet.

 

There was the sound of someone, the first voice perhaps, pushing the second, who chuckled at the growl of mock-annoyance from the first. The wood chips had shallow furrows from the whole endeavor, and you watched as one skipped into the trench created by swinging children.

 

You couldn't help but smile at the interaction, the two seemed close to one another. Your mind couldn't help but spur the question- were they best friends or brothers, perhaps?

 

You mentally shook the question from your head, turning back to where the two were squabbling.

 

The two seemed to be roughhousing, and you couldn't help the chuckle that escaped you. They froze, one of them coughed awkwardly, and the two worked on disentangling one from another.

 

“You were going to explain,” you quipped, trying to contain your chuckles.  You were failing .

 

The second voice chimed in, “Yes. It is, however, a long story no matter where we begin. Do you want to hear it here, or is there somewhere else you’d rather sit?”

 

You hum as you consider. The swings aren't comfortable for long periods of time, and you know there are surprisingly comfortable benches…

 

Gesturing in that direction, you check with them, “are benches alright?”

 

The two seem to wordlessly confer, and the second voice chimes again, “yes, those are fine, Dove. After you?”

 

You nod and flash a smile as you stand. You didn't really have a good guess as to where they were, so you tried to make yourself as small as you cold as you walked in a straight line towards your objective.

 

You yelped an apology as you felt yourself bump into something solid, your fingers tangling in some heavy fabric-a coat? He was warm, yet his heat was a crispness that was not native to the oppressive heat of the summer evening. His was more like a comfortable fire to escape a brisk, windy night.

 

The unexpected contact and your sudden internal stint of waxing poetic sent you reeling, your footing lost on the wood chips.

 

You and the  _ Other _ staggered to the side as you both tried to regain lost footing. You heard the  _ Other _ hiss in pain as his arm crashed into the metal beam supporting the swings. You saw smoke starting to wind away from the beam before your eyes.

 

His hiss was like a fire being doused, and it hurt your heart to hear. You instinctively jerked him back towards you to get away from the metal, the smell of his skin burning oddly like burning wood. Your sudden move sent the two of you careening backward into the second  _ Other _ .

 

He was borderline freezing in his shock as the two of you crashed into him. He caught the two of you, and you mused about how  _ he _ felt in comparison to the  _ Other _ at your back. With him, you were reminded of a winter night, standing outside in your pajamas in the freezing cold.

 

You felt yourself tugged between two differing temperatures, and you felt yourself melt in relaxation. For all their differences, it was without a question still better than the summer heat. You made a hum of pleasure and you felt two sets arms instinctively tighten around you.

 

There was a moment where you all just basked in the happiness the contact brought to your small huddle. Unfortunately the  _ Other _ whose jacket you clung to shifted, letting out a hiss as the sudden movement aggravated his burn. You and the chilly  _ Other _ immediately scrambled to look at his burn, ignoring protests of ‘I'm fine,’ and ‘don't  _ touch _ it!’

 

You and the second  _ Other _ ushered the first over to the bench, pushing him to sit while you plopped down next to him. The second seemed to crouch in front of the first, to stop him from escaping the care. Not that you could help any, seeing as you could only see a faint wisp of smoke from the afflicted  _ Other _ .

 

The two of you fussed over the first- you seriously had to get names or titles or something this was ridiculous. Eventually, the second managed to stop the burning sensation with, what you guessed to be, a freezing hand to the smoking flesh.

 

There was a groan of relief from the first, and some swatting on his part to try to get the two of you to stop fretting. “We have a story to tell, we shouldn't leave our cariño waiting. We let no harm come to them, and I don't want to be harmed much further tonight, hmm? I had enough trouble navigating the industrial wasteland that they call a workplace,” he grumbled, the last part almost inaudible.

 

You gaped like a fish at the admission, your mind whirling through the last day’s occurrences. You had heard a few growls, and then there were the papers that randomly scattered from that flirt’s desk for no reason…

 

“You! You did the thing! With the paper,” you ignored his snort over your eloquence and continued. “So wait, who followed me to and from work? It was so refreshingly cool…”

 

The second voice sheepishly cleared his throat, “I did, Dove. I didn't want you to overheat, after all. I'm just glad you didn't get on that  **bus** contraption, today. I wouldn't be able to avoid the iron in that no matter how I tried.”

 

You only rode the bus when it was raining, the thought clicking at his comment.

 

“I only ride the bus when it's raining? It hasn't rained in at least two weeks… How long have you been watching?”

 

The two of them were silent before the warm one chimed in, “you truly don't remember us, do you cariño?”

 

You shook your head, maybe if they showed themselves you'd be able to place them. Their voices, while unique, weren't ringing any bells.

 

The cooler one chuckled, “you used to call him ‘The Pumpkin King’, and I was ‘Frosty.’ It was cute, really.”

 

You gaped like a fish, rather unattractively a small voice in your head quipped. Your parents had said that you had imaginary friends with names similar, if not identical, to those…

 

The ‘Pumpkin King’ chuckled at your expression, “starting to ring some bells,  _ cariño _ ? You’ve kept the same expressions since you were sprouting.”

 

The vague memories came trickling back slowly, like drips from a leaking faucet. Your eyes widened and you gasped as the drips became a flood of bleary, half remembered memories- thoughts and feelings from when you were small flowing past some invisible barrier.

 

Cool winds- hands?- giving comforting pets when you scraped your knees or palms.

 

A flickering light that never burned, held safely in your hands as two different colored lights stayed strong and checked for any monsters under your bed or in your closet.

 

Squeals and peals of laughter and joy as you rode on someone’s shoulders, fingers trailing in tree branches. Doting behavior making you feel like you were the ruler of the forest.

 

Heart-wrenching sorrow that left you a bawling, wailing wreck when you were told they would have to go away for a while…

 

Your eyes watered as the devastation returned- you’d assumed as you got older that it was a friend or neighbor that moved, which left you so hollow. Now it finally settled back into place.

 

It was the  _ Others _ .

 

It always went back to the  _ Others _ .

 

You wanted to be upset. You wanted to rant, rave, and scream your frustrations…

 

You were too empty, however. Too many emotions had been thrown about in this realization, too many for you to muster up the righteous fury you desired.

 

Your voice came out as a resigned, rasping thing, “why  _ now _ ? Why me in particular- I’m sure there are more than I’d imagine who can see all of you.” You looked at the sky, ignoring where either the ‘Pumpkin King’ or ‘Frosty’ possibly were. 

 

You heard them converse in that odd language of theirs again, the melodic tones seem in clipped and aggravated.

 

It was ‘Frosty’ who spoke up. It sounded like he shifted awkwardly before sitting on your other side on the bench, sufficiently surrounding you with their odd temperatures. “We were informed we had to leave you. Make no mistake, if we had our way we would have stayed, but it was argued that our presence was painting too large a target on you for such a young age. It would break our hearts had something bad happened to you, and if you were put away where we could not follow? It would have wrecked us all and ruined your life.”

 

“Wouldn't be the first time one of the Watchers were taken,” the smoky rumble from the ‘pumpkin king’ interrupting the softness of his companion. “Watchers that have been deemed mad and shut away from the sun are more prevalent than we would like. People fear what they do not know, and to think one of their own can See what others do not?” There was a mournful sigh in unison shared between the two. “It tears them apart. They don't last.”

 

“We couldn't let that happen to you, Dove,” the softer voice reassured, reaching his arm across your shoulders and tucking you into his side. “Your parents were concerned you were getting too old for such involved imaginary friends. They were going to bring you to someone. We were consulted by the Avatars of Spring and Summer who had their Watcher taken. We couldn't let that happen to you, Dove.”

 

Well. If that wasn't a bitter pill to swallow. “You left so I wasn't institutionalized? What's different now? You didn't answer that part. And the whole ‘Avatar of Spring and Summer’ thing should be nice to be explained.”

 

There was the musical tones in a clear berating from the warm presence to your side. You heard a murmured melodic voice that held a clear tone of mocking from your other side, before an aggravated, “I was getting there, _hermano_!”

 

There was mutual grumbling while you sat patiently in between, waiting for your answers. Frost- you couldn't completely ditch Frosty but that was not quite a name that seemed to fit the regal being- cleared his throat and continued. “Better we leave and know you're safe than to stay and watch you be taken forever. As for why now? Well, we had planned to find you earlier, but you weren't where we saw you last…”

 

“So we scattered to the winds,” King- which you'd have to find a better substitute for because _no way_ were you going to inflate that ego any more- mused, tapping what sounded like talons again the wooden armrest of the bench. “We sent those who had watched you grow to look for you, to spread word of your appearance. Any sign of you, any that saw someone who matched your appearance we checked. Any who knew what you were and thought someone could See we hoped. We followed you as best we could,  _ cariño _ . It just took us longer than we would have hoped for.”

 

You heard the sound of creaking leather and a hum of agreement from the physically colder of the two. You mused for a moment how their temperatures and demeanours seemed so different- the emotionally distant one being the warming flame,  and the warm and welcoming one being cold as ice.

 

The two of them were quite a pair, but they were yours.

 

_ Mine? When did they become mine? _ Your brain brought up to you internally.

 

“And the Avatars,” your own voice surprised you, but it was a welcome distraction from that train of thought. The two conversed once more before Frost, once again, moved to answer your question.

 

“Each of the seasons has an Avatar, the one who embodies the changes nature goes through, and who gets bolstered from the solstice-” there was a grunt from King, which caused a sigh from Frost and his arm tightening around your shoulders subconsciously. “Or equinox, and lasts until the end of the season- which brings the next one of us our bolstering.”

 

“Us? Who is us,” you quipped, causing King to chuckle anew and place a hand on your knee.

 

“Us. Your Pumpkin King and Frosty over there. We are Avatars, along with two more- which you never met. We are some of the select few who are chosen to watch and care for the Watchers. Those who can aid us should we need it, those who can bridge the gap between our world and the slowly industrializing world.”

 

Frost chipped in, “We don’t aim to use you, not like some of our kind would. Humans that are Watchers are special, we care for them as we hope they may care for us. To purposely abuse them is a great crime, as we have had Watchers in the past who purposely destroyed any stronghold or Court as they saw fit. To trick those who see us naturally has always been frowned upon- only in recent centuries have we implemented and enforced the law.”

 

You snorted in derision, “so what of my torment in my childhood? Of the ones who pinched me, pulled me as they saw fit, among other things. What happened to them?”

 

There was quiet for some moments, the only noise the crackle of fire that King seemed to perpetually emit. “They… We dealt with them as we could,” King eventually stated, the hand on your knee removing itself as he seemed to lean forward, balancing his elbows on his knees if the feel of his posture change was correct.

 

Frost also removed his arm from your shoulders, and from the creaking of leather you would guess he was crossing them. “They worried. Some children can See us, but lose it as they age. Their behavior was deplorable and unforgivable, but we could understand their concern.” you hummed noncommittally at that, and it was your turn to stiffen at Frost’s next words. His voice was suddenly as cold as the ice he felt like, “Make no mistake, they were dealt with appropriately. That Court shall not soon forget the misery that comes with harming a Watcher.”

 

Eager to change the subject, you placed a hand on each of the Avatars. “So, why am I the charge of the two of you? What determines who watches the Watcher, and can’t one of you do the job well enough?”

 

Frost leaned into your touch as he explained, “We go by twos now for a myriad of reasons. For one, the Watchers have become so few, we must cherish them and make doubly sure they are done no harm. There is also the chance that one of us will be bolstering in one hemisphere or another, and when one of us must leave for short periods of time, it won’t leave you defenseless. For another, well, we work well together.”

 

King sat back up and bumped your shoulder with his own, “in the past, there were enough Watchers for each of us to have one charge to love and cherish. They would travel with us, and be our companions. Many powerful lines of Watchers have been formed from the occasional union, and that is why it is so closely monitored who gets custody of what Watcher. We can’t have family watching over their line- as awful as it may sound.

 

“When family watches over family, things get messy. There was a Watcher who was the charge of their great grandfather who was murdered for what they could See. The Lord could not handle the loss of his own blood, and he cursed the town with a blight that spread horrifically- taking Watcher and regular human alike. The Black Plague marks a dark spot in our history- family may check in, but they may have no hand in the choices.”

 

Frost made a grunt of assent, “The Plague also cut down drastically on the number of Watchers, and so you few… Even in this day, your numbers only shrink.”

 

You blink slowly as you have all this information to sift through. Perhaps…

 

You stood suddenly, dusting off your knees and stretching. You walk back towards the path, stopping when you hear no additional footsteps. Confused, you turn to look back at the bench, “you guys coming? I think my apartment is nicer than it is out here, don’t you?”

 

There was a moment of shocked silence before the two practically bolted off the bench and jogged over to you, friendly fighting and laughing being shared between the two.

 

You smiled as you slipped their hands into your own- a promising beginning to your lives together.

**Author's Note:**

> Part one of a commission from my lovely friend, Wendi!  
> I'm actively working on part two, no sinning to be found yet!  
> I take [commissions](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-c1q0M4nx-b1fJnfgQew1pIyTS0gXF0_oKFyqWjO2KY). Message me on [tumblr](issamorg.tumblr.com/ask) for more info!


End file.
